SCOTUS Watch: Orders etc.

There were no separate orders last week arising from the conference held on Thursday. Today's Order List was a little longer than usual, which suggested some additional writing. 

Justice Jackson (with Sotomayor) wrote an opinion dissenting in denial of cert. in a case involving a defendant not being present during a special pre-trial voir dire procedure. The procedure usually was not related to a specific case but this was a death penalty case. The government had a special one tied to a specific trial. And, much of it was off the record. 

Otherwise, the Order List is not too notable. The various odds and ends might interest those who like inside baseball. Alito took no part in the consideration or decision of one case. But, this too is not notable. 

The conservatives have each since the creation of their ethical guidelines recused without saying why. Kagan and Jackson have specified why they recused, tying it to one of the guidelines. Sotomayor has not had an opportunity to do so.  

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Robert L. Tsai wrote Demand the Impossible: One Lawyer's Pursuit of Equal Justice for All about Stephen Bright, best known for his anti-death penalty work. 

I liked the book overall though it had a certain "same old, same old" feel. You can read more about Bright's time as a student leader (University of Kentucky) here. This sort of thing makes him stand out more. 

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Justice Clarence Thomas again whined about how everyone is being unfair to him. Meanwhile, his man Leonard Leo has also been protested in ways he and others deem unfair. 

Other justices are also out with a variety of appearances, including Sotomayor, Kavanaugh, and Alito. 

Alito received cheers when Dobbs was referenced at some conservative institution. BTW, Alito has no majority opinions thus far. He is the only one left. Roberts and Thomas had no drama opinions. Alito doesn't even have one of those. 

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A young protester received a settlement from mistreatment related to his protest of Leonard Leo. In the "asshole has a point" department, it does look like the guy screamed at Leo with his daughter nearby. 

Not cool. I am also not a big fan of protests outside people's homes. If people can do this to people we don't like, they can (and do) it for people we do like. This is not a question of what is legal necessarily or if the authorities crossed the line in a specific case. It's a question of good policy. 

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We will have more opinions on Thursday.